Opinion: Editorials

Editorial: How to survive Thanksgiving

Vice President-elect Mike Pence talks with the staff at Second Helpings as they prepare Thanksgiving meals Wednesday in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings / AP)

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude, when families gather to express their heartfelt affection ... oh, come on. Who are we kidding? This Thanksgiving is shaping up as a post-election war zone.

Many Americans approach their Thanksgiving with a mixture of hope and dread — it's family, right? This year, however, Americans face a house divided not just by the usual fight over whether the cranberry sauce is too tart or the mashed potatoes too garlicky, but the simmering aftermath of Trump vs. Clinton.

You think it's over? It's not over.

We've all heard about people who are canceling plans to visit Ground Zero (aka home) for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or those who are disinviting relatives who voted the other way from other major events, such as weddings.

So the call has gone out across the nation for psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers to counsel the grieving and the gloating on how to navigate the holidays.

First, we understand that shouting can feel good. But take it from people who argue in a closed room for a living: You'll feel better in the long run if you find some way to make the dinner table chatter ... less combative. If you haven't convinced that relative of your utter rightness in matters presidential, then why do you think there's a chance now? Voting's over. Time to see what happens. Remember, we live in a great, resilient country that has withstood world wars, civil wars and sharknados.

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Yes, a freeze-out — rescinding the invitations of offending family members — is one way to short-circuit a dyspeptic Thanksgiving. But instead of yanking the invitation, or canceling plans to go home, we'd suggest other ways to deal with a situation that may last for the next four to eight years. At some point, presumably, you may want or need to mend bridges. So why not start by not burning them now?

Forgive and forget? Nah. What we suggest is that fuming and frothing over the election can be exhausting. Take a break from relentless fury or nonstop gloating. Step away from Twitter and Facebook. Ditch the iPhone for an extended period. (We've tried it; the effect is amazingly relaxing.) Stop sharing those fake news headlines.

Here's an idea we endorse: One friend who anticipates a political food fight at Thanksgiving plans to post a sign at the front door: Politics Free Zone. All who enter here, stow your politics with your coats.

Think of this holiday's familial encounter as a first date. Prepare for it. Make a mental list of all the things you want to talk about aside from politics. For example: Thumbs up or down on the trippy "Dr. Strange"? What the heck is going on in "Westworld"? How about that thrilling Cubs World Series finale?

You could revive the compelling internet meme about how a dog would wear pants if dogs wore pants.

Or revisit the web eruption over whether that striped dress posted on Tumblr was white and gold or blue and black. (Apparently, there's a similar controversy brewing now about the color of a pair of Havaianas sandals posted on Twitter.)

Or reconstitute the brouhaha over whether you should add peas to guacamole.

How about: Should retailers stay open on Thanksgiving or give their employees a break and close? (More seem to be closing this year, but that's only because Americans are getting wise: Most of those great deals are similar to last year's great deals.)

Take a moment from your election despair — or elation — and ponder the faces around the Thanksgiving table and all the fates and forces that brought you together. In this room, in this moment. Remember: Next year, different faces could peer back.

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